President Obama gives his State of the Union address tonight.  With unemployment at 10%, and with the economy as the most pressing issue according to every recent poll, we're pretty sure the President will focus on jobs. Here are some points ManufactureThis hopes he'll make: 1. Call for an economic recovery guided by a strong manufacturing policy.

• In December 2009, the Obama Administration released a "Framework for Revitalizing American Manufacturing," an acknowledgement that action is needed.
• In a recent USA Today/Gallup poll, Americans were asked what should be done to create more jobs in the U.S.  The number one response was "keep manufacturing jobs in the U.S."
• Ensuring that businesses have access to capital, proper tax incentives, an ability to invest in skills and training, and a level playing field on which to compete are key planks of such a policy.

2. Acknowledge that workers are still facing tough times, and that strong and swift action is warranted by the Administration and Congress.  

• Manufacturing employment has fallen by 2.1 million jobs since the recession began in December of 2007, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
• Manufacturing employment dropped to 11.7 million in October 2009, a loss of 5.5 million or 32 percent of all manufacturing jobs since October 2000.
• In October 2009, more people were officially unemployed (15.7 million) than were working in manufacturing.

3. Call for substantial federal, state, and private investment in our highway, transit, sewer, and clean energy infrastructure.  The Senate should follow the lead of the House of Representatives and send a jobs bill to the President that invests in our nation's crumbling infrastructure.  The House passed its "Jobs for Main Street Act" in December.

• A report released by the Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM) in January of 2009, How Infrastructure Investments Support the U.S. Economy: Employment, Productivity and Growth, shows that roughly 18,000 new jobs would be created for every $1 billion in new infrastructure spending on our nation's transportation, energy, water systems, and public schools.
• Over the long term, create a National Infrastructure Bank to accelerate investment in rebuilding America.

4. Say that we can keep it made in America.  Our new infrastructure must be made in factories around our nation if the United States is to revive our economy and create good jobs.  As our new report shows, Buy America requirements create more jobs.

• "Buy America" provisions have been the law of the land for over 70 years, are compliant with our international obligations, and are used by all of our trading partners.
• Manufacturing employment gains from infrastructure investment can increase by up to 33 percent when the amount of domestic materials purchased are maximized with the inclusion of strong domestic sourcing provisions.

5. Set a goal of eliminating our trade deficit by enforcing our trade laws, ensuring a level playing field for America's workers and businesses, and ending China's currency manipulation.

• The Obama Administration did the right thing by penalizing Chinese consumer tires that were flooding the U.S. market.  Already, some domestic tire facilities are hiring back workers.
• Our trade enforcement laws are our last line of defense against subsidized and dumped imports from foreign producers.  Our workers and companies can compete with anyone in the world, but are put at a significant disadvantage without a level playing field.
• Japan and the EU have joined the U.S. in calling for an end to China's ongoing currency manipulation which distorts world markets and violates accepted trade law.